New galleries to showcase nearly 300 rarely viewed works from the Museum vaults 

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Museum of Art is revealing hundreds of hidden masterpieces and cultural treasures with the opening of Visible Vaults, an interactive exhibition that brings works of art from the Museum’s vaults to the public eye, many for the first time. Featuring nearly 300 culturally diverse works, Visible Vaults highlights the breadth of the Museum’s permanent collection. This new installation will occupy two galleries at The San Diego Museum of Art starting November 12, 2016.

Visible Vaults is designed to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the Museum’s vast permanent collection, connect art from across the world and increase the number of works accessible to Museum visitors. With 18,000 works of art in the Museum’s collection, many of which are light-sensitive and fragile, there are many works of art that are rarely on view.

Recreating the Museum’s most carefully guarded area, Visible Vaults invites guests to interact and engage by opening drawers, peeking into virtual storerooms and taking time to sketch on drawing tables and observe their favorite pieces up close. In addition to important works on paper, sculpture, ceramics, cloisonné, snuff bottles, tiles and paintings will be on view.

One of the strengths of the Museum’s permanent collection is its print collection, and Visible Vaults introduces guests to printmaking techniques used all over the world. In the first iteration, Japanese woodblock prints from the 19th century will be showcased alongside notable prints from Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Additional works from Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Henry Moore, Auguste Rodin, Charles Reiffel and Lee Krasner will also be on display.

“What makes this installation special is the variety of works in such an intimate, exploratory setting. Visible Vaults offers guests a rare opportunity to connect on a deeper level with exquisite, culturally diverse works,” said Roxana Velásquez, Maruja Baldwin Executive Director of The San Diego Museum of Art. “We’re welcoming visitors to see not only more works of art from the Museum’s vault, but also providing the unique occasion to view those that are not often on display.”

Visible Vaults is a collaborative exhibition, with contributions from each of the curators at the Museum.